Accompanying recent overspreading of computers, inkjet printers are widely used for the printing on paper, film, cloth or the like not only in offices but also at homes.
The inkjet recording method includes a system of jetting out a liquid droplet by applying a pressure using a piezo element, a system of jetting out a liquid droplet by generating bubbles in an ink under heat, a system of using an ultrasonic wave, and a system of jetting out a liquid droplet by suction using an electrostatic force. The ink used for such inkjet recording systems includes an aqueous ink, an oily ink and a solid (fusion-type) ink. Among these inks, the aqueous ink is predominating in view of production, handleability, odor, safety and the like.
The dye used in such an inkjet recording ink is required to have high solubility in a solvent, enable high-density recording, provide good color, exhibit excellent fastness to light, heat, air, water and chemicals, ensure good fixing property to an image-receiving material and less blurring, give an ink having excellent storability, have high purity and no toxicity, and be available at a low cost. However, it is very difficult to find out a dye satisfying these requirements in a high level. In particular, a dye having good cyan color and excellent weather resistance is strongly demanded.
Also, the inkjet recording is known to have a problem that a phenomenon of metal gloss called bronze which is deemed ascribable to regular reflected light on the surface of dye particle is sometimes observed and this deteriorates the image quality.